


Deep Waters Hold Reflections

by apple9131999



Series: The States of America [6]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Bleeding Kansas, Hemophilic Character, Historical Hetalia, Pre-American Civil War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 06:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7034251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apple9131999/pseuds/apple9131999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The blood's not stopping," Liam said, feeling a little dizzy.</p><p>"It will," Victoria said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deep Waters Hold Reflections

**Author's Note:**

> Companion Piece to 'Of Times Lost Long Ago'

_May 30, 1854- on the Bank of Little Blue River, Nebraska-Kansas_

When he opened his eyes, he saw the sky, and the pretty clouds and the fat bird that lifted off of the branch above his head and flew away into the bright blue sky. When he sat up, he noticed the water flowing fast past him. He reached out a hand and touched the cold mountain water. There was a bit of the sky reflected into it, the bright blue overtaking the clearness of the water. He smiled at it and kneeled on the side, reaching a hand out as far as he could and trying to touch it deeper.

There was a gasp and a little bit off a scuffle across the bank, so he looked up. There was another boy on the other side of the river. He was laying on his back, though not sitting up like the first boy.

"Hey!" the first boy cried.

The second boy turned his head and smiled, but didn't say anything. He lifted a hand and waved, though.

The first boy got to his feet and waved back, just as brightly, if even more so. The second boy propped himself up and he smiled across to the first boy.

The first boy cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Come over here!"

The second boy shook his head. "I can't!"

"Where's your Mama?"

"I don't know! Where's yours?"

"I don't know! Who are you?"

"I'm me. Who are you?"

"I'm me also!"

This made the other boy crack up and the first boy waited patiently with a huge grin on his face. When the other boy calmed down, the first said, "I'll go over there, then!"

"Be careful!"

If he ran through the fast water, that would make it easier and quicker to cross, right?

Sure…hr />

He woke up on the other bank ( _yes!_ ), but with the first boy leaning over him, hands aflutter over his body.

"You went under the water," he was informed, "and you didn't wake up when I pulled you out. And your leg is all red."

He looked down and noticed that, yes, his leg was all red and it hurt if he poked at it. "Ow," he said in delayed pain.

"I washed it out," the other boy told him, looking as though he didn't know why he did that, but also knowing at the same time that it was right what he did. "But we need to put something over it..."

"Like what?"

He pointed. "Your shirt."

"Oh." Then dutifully he took off his shirt and bent over to tie it around the gash in his leg. The other boy helped him to his feet, grinning happily.

"Now you'll get better!"

"Thank you-" he said before frowning. "You really don't have a name?'

"No, do you?"

"No, but it seems like something you'd need."

The boy seemed to think about it as they started walking with no certain decision. "I can't think of one I really like. You pick one for me."

He thought about it for a few minutes as the stepped around a fallen tree limb, his leg pinging painfully, but that was okay, he could deal with it. "I like Connor."

The boy tried it out. " _Connor_. It's kind of funny, but I like it."

"Pick one for me."

Connor tapped his lip a few times in thought. His hand was reaching out to brush aside a branch when he snapped his fingers. "William."

The first boy made a face. "That's really long and stuffy."

Connor let the branch hit him in the face. "If you didn't like it, then you could've just said."

"No, I like it, but I think it's long. What about Will?"

At seeing the other boy's nose wrinkle in disgust, the still-unnamed boy conceded that Will did not suit him. "How about shorten the other way. Do you like 'Liam'?"

The newly christened Liam (he still felt as though something else should happen, but if it was a river bath, well, he'd already done that) smiled at that and nodded, content to take Connor's hand and swing it between the two as they walked.

* * *

_June 6, 1854, present-day Kansas City, Missouri_

He collapsed soon after they saw the fort on the horizon. Connor, who had been carrying half of his weight, was startled and he was kneeling down almost immediately, "Liam? Liam? Liam, are you okay?" falling from his lips.

Liam managed a weak groan and tried to heft himself back on his numb leg and make it to the first human settlement that he had seen in a long time. His eyes were drooping and his stomach churned, but Connor pushed him down.

"I'll go get help, stay there." And with that he was off running for the walled fort.

Liam tried to stay awake, focusing first on his brother's retreating back and then on rising sun making the sky pink, but somewhere between watching a slug crawl on the underside of a leaf and trying to count all the leaves he could see, he fell asleep.

* * *

When he woke up, a dark-skinned blonde was sitting by his bedside, Connor curled up in her lap as she sang softly.

_"-carry me home...If you get there before I do...comin' for to carry me home...I'll cut a hole and pull you through.."_

She was looking out of the window, slowly rocking in her chair. Connor's cheeks looked red and tearstained from where they were squished into her chest. Liam was swaddled in two layers of white blankets, and he felt sticky from sweat. The summer night chill was seeping into the room and he felt a horrifying ache in his leg, but that was better than the increasing numbness.

_"...comin' for to carry me home...swing low, sweet chariot...comin' for to carry me home.."_

His pillow was cool and he pressed his feverish cheek into the soft plush as he watched her sing and rock. She looked over just as she finished one line. She mouthed 'sleep' to him and he only stared. She smiled, the action natural looking on her, as though she smiled lots.

She now looked at him as she sang, _"Swing low, sweet chariot....comin' for to carry me home.."_

Her voice was soft, but deep and Liam felt it wash over him. It seemed like an angel's caress, the way he felt a strong calloused hand reach out and brush back his bangs. That's what she had to be; an angel, the best kind to find him a bed and to let Connor sleep without worrying for Liam's sake.

_"...if you get there before I do...comin' for to carry me home...tell all my friends I'm coming too...comin' for to carry me home..."_

* * *

November 21, 1855, Rhode Island Ave, Washington D.C.

He tripped.

It was down the stairs leading out of the house and he was really excited because Kyla and Gabriel were coming to visit one more time before Christmas and he was trying to beat Connor out of the house, but he missed a step was sprawled out on the floor, and his knee really hurt, but he didn't cry because...because...

Okay, so maybe he did cry, but that was because it really hurt!

Kyla chuckled at the two of them as Connor flung himself toward her, arms wrapping around her middle, mouth moving rather quickly. Gabriel stepped around the two to Liam's side, reaching out a small thin hand to the child on the floor.

He helped Liam up, but the youngster's leg buckled out from underneath him. He and Gabriel looked down at the same time, the latter gasping and scooping up the child in his arms. He walked with him back into the house and the kitchen where Victoria was cooking. Liam winced as his leg was jarred again as he was placed in one of the old wooden chairs.

Victoria looked up exasperatedly. "Did he fall? Liam, I told you not to run out of the house."

Gabriel shook his head. He pointed to the bruise on Liam's knee that Liam kind of wanted to poke at it, but Gabriel gently took his hand when he tried. "Victoria, look he's crying."

"It's just smarting, he can walk it off," she said again without looking away from her concoction.

Gabriel fished out his clicker and began clicking-too fast for Liam to follow.

Liam watched- through his watery eyes- as Victoria wiped off the flour on her hands and came around to where the duo sat. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight. "Liam what did you do?"

She sounded scared and Liam tried not to cry while he spoke, but it really hurt and Victoria was kind of scaring him as well. "I f-f-fe-fell outside. I was runn' an' Connor-"

"Nothing before that?"

"N-nno..."

"Okay, Gabriel, take him outside and run some cold water on his knee. I don't know why his knee is so..." she trailed off before waving for him to move and quickly at that.

The water felt nice, in fact, it was refreshing to the overheated skin. Gabriel was telling him a story about his governor and some chickens and Louis in a dress. His stomach hurt was laughing so much. Gabriel's smile was quick and sharp as he carefully ran the water. Liam tried to follow up with a story about Connor and a squirrel. Gabriel was quick to laugh along with him, and his smile only brightened, while his eyes darkened because the bruise was only getting worse.

* * *

_May 24, 1856, Rhode Island Ave, Washington, D.C._

After Easter Sunday, when they were sitting down for dinner, he got a nosebleed.

It had been very tense between Diego and the rest of the house for a few days, especially when Liam was in the room, ever since Alfred came home with the knowledge of a fight breaking out in the Senate over Liam and whether or not he was free or no.

Connor had even been kind of tip-toey around him and he didn't like it. He wanted his brother back, not this awkward relationship between the rest of the family.

The nosebleed was sudden and there was a sharp pain in his skull that made him cry out. Victoria, who had been just setting down the main course, looked up quickly, as did the rest of the table. Liam flushed hotly when he noticed their expressions, but his attention was soon arrested back to the red liquid on his hand.

Samantha stood up from her seat at the head and said her sister’s name sharply. Victoria hastened to Liam’s side and pulled him out of his seat. He could hear Samantha talking to the other kids, calming them down, even if she didn’t believe it herself.

“Pinch your nose- the bridge Liam,” Victoria said as she fished a handkerchief out of her pocket

“‘M sorry,” he said as he repositioned his bloody hands to where she had told him. There was blood on his lips now and he grimaced as some of it slipped into his mouth.

Victoria shook her head, a fond expression on her face. “You have nothing to be sorry about, Liam.”

“I ruined dinner,” he said as she wiped the blood from his chin and lips.

“No you didn’t,” she said. She held the already coated in blood hanky to his nose and fished around for another one in her pockets.

“‘M sorry I made everythin’ weird.”

“If anything, watching Alfred and Jasmine both try to inhale that pig yesterday made everything a little weird.” With the other hanky, she dabbed under his eyes- although why there’d be blood there, he didn't really under- oh....

“No I meant with the fight in the Senate.”

“Liam.” His name was said sharply, in the way that she always said it when he was in trouble and he cowered from it instinctively. “That was not your fault,” she said, her voice soft.

“But-”

“They were just fighting because that man insulted his brother. They’re just old men, they only want two things out of life- land and spreading their beliefs, trust me, I’ve been around a lot longer than you.” She pressed her forehead to his and smiled a secret smile. “A lot of things are being weird right now, and you’re definitely not part of the problem.”

“I don’t know how to feel,” he whispered. “Some days I think that it’s best one way and then I switch later that same day and it just makes my tummy hurt. And Connor won’t look at me straight anymore.”

“Why won’t he?”

“I don’t know,” Liam said, his face scrunched up in tears and he sniffled- and then immediately regretted it when he only succeeded in making it harder to breathe. “He’s like you guys- not wishy-washy like me.”

“You’re not wishy-washy,” Victoria said as she pulled the handkerchief away from his face and replaced it with the other. “It’s just your people. When they settle their differences out, you’ll be all right.”

“You’d still love me if I was a slave territory instead of free, right?”

Victoria stared at him. “Liam, whatever gave you the idea that I wouldn’t.”

“You’re always complaining ‘bout ‘em, how they’re not helpi’g anythin’ and how bad slave’ry is.”

She rolled her eyes fondly. “Liam, all of you get on my nerves at least once in your lifetime. For Sam and Alfred, it’s almost daily, and don’t even get me started on Owen and Thomas when the two of them get going- it’s so irritating. I still love everyone down South. Do I wish that they had a better way to build their economy than on the backs of uprooted people, yes. Do I hate them for that? No, I don’t think I could ever.

“Besides,” she brushed a soft hand through his hair and dabbed at his nose, letting him breathe, “you wouldn’t be the first. I don’t even know who was first. It was either Owen or Alfred or Brianna- I can’t remember. _I_ had slaves, Sam had slaves. All of us had slaves for at least two hundred years. And Diego is a slave territory now, so you’re not alone."

"But-but-" he hiccuped, reaching out to place the hanky back on his nose as Victoria shifted onto her knees instead of half-kneeling and bending. "Owen _and_ Kyla want me to be _two_ different things, and I don't want to upset _either_ of them."

Victoria's expression hardened and she said sharply, "What have they been telling you?"

He didn't want to answer. So he shook his head. Victoria sighed and ran a hand through his hair, her eyes softening slightly. "I can guess," she said sadly. "I'll talk to them, Liam, don't you worry."

"NO!" he shouted, shaking his head. "I don't want them to be mad. Please."

"Liam," she said and kissed his forehead. "Owen and Kyla are much older than you and they should know better than to pressure _you_. Your people, sure, but-" she cut herself off with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry you've been so conflicted, Liam."

"Are you going to talk to them?"

"Yes."

He felt tears well up and he tried to breathe, but it wasn't helped that his nose was still bleeding and that he could only manage a few gasps. Victoria took the hanky away and hugged him tight and he had to shove a finger under his nose to stop the blood from hitting her back. "I don't want them to be mad at me."

She kissed the side of his head and the movement jarred his arm and a few drops of blood hit her dress. "They won't be, Liam. Calm down now."

"But the blood's not stopping," Liam said, feeling a little dizzy.

"It will," Victoria said.


End file.
